Game Rules

(Note: Playing the game is NOT required. If you just want to hang out on Stereofame, the best artists on the planet will love you for it!)

The object of the game is to:

• Get as many points as you can so you can use them to bid on great prizes.
• Additionally, ARTISTS are able to get the recognition they deserve for great songs through listener actions, including voting. This popularity helps determine SF Rank for an Artist. Music listeners - called LABELS here at Stereofame - are able to get the recognition they deserve by discovering great talent. SF Rank for a Label is based upon the success of the Artists that they have signed. It's all about music, fame, and the game!

First, you must register to play the game as an "Artist" or as a "Label." Once you have registered, you will be able to start scoring points immediately and complete your profile page.

You can even start downloading free music from our Music Store from some of the best independent (indie) artists in the world and get 10 points while you're doing it! Of course, Artists need to make some coin, too. So, many great Artists have their premium tracks for sale here at Stereofame. Sure, you could buy them at iTunes, but you won't get any points there. Buy a track here and both you and the Artist score 500 points!

Artists and Labels receive points in a number of different ways by actions completed (see "Scoring and Points" below). For example, Labels may obtain points for listening to a song, and by providing a "thumbs up" or "thumbs down" for the song. In this example, the Label's points increase and the Artist's points increase or decrease as a result of this action.

Artists and Labels earn their points during each Stereofame Season described below (Spring, Summer, Winter, and Fall). Points may only be used to bid on prizes available for the season in which points are earned. Artists and Labels must use all of their points by the end of each Stereofame Season. As soon as the new season begins (Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter), all Artist and Labels points are reset to ZERO. So, bid accordingly.

Labels can just hang out, enjoy music, and talk with artists or friends on Stereofame. However, most Labels play a more active role in the game by signing artists to their Label. This way, they get more points - a lot more points - that can be used to bid on great prizes.

Labels select the Artists he or she thinks will be most successful on Stereofame. Just like major record labels in the music industry, the objective is to discover great talent and "sign" these Artists to his or her Label. The Label then receives points based upon the success and popularity of the Artists that are signed. The earlier you sign an Artist, the higher your Label rank position for that Artist and the more points you get relative to other Labels who also sign the Artist. Artist popularity is partly determined by the Stereofame community through actions such as thumbs ups. Whenever a "thumbs up" is given to an Artist who is signed to a Label, the Label usually receives points.

Labels sign an Artist by simply selecting which Artists they want on their Label. The Label may sign up to 10 Artists at a time, but only 3 of these Artists may be signed and designated as a "HEADLINER." As an exception to this rule, Backstage Pass Members may sign up to 12 Artists and may designate the "Headliner" distinction to one additional Artist, for a total of 4 Artists. (See "Stereofame Premium Membership" for additional details.)

If a Label has signed a Headliner who subsequently wins the Artist of the Month competition, the Label will receive 10,000 points! The Label must have designated the Headliner at least one month prior to the Artist receiving the award in order to receive the points, i.e., the July Artist of the Month must have been designated by a Label as a Headliner by May 31st in order for the Label to receive the points.

If a Label has signed a "Non-Headliner" who subsequently wins the Artist of the Month competition, the Label will receive 5,000 points. The Label must have designated the Non-Headliner at least one month prior to the Artist receiving the award in order to receive the points, i.e., the July Artist of the Month must have been designated by a Label as a Non-Headliner by May 31st in order for the Label to receive the points.

Artists may be signed or dropped at the Label's discretion, but it costs 500 points to drop an Artist from a Label. So, Labels should choose Artists carefully. Remember, the more popular that the Artist is who is signed to a Label, and the higher the Label's rank position, the more points the Label will receive. 500 points are also given to Labels when they sign an Artist (see "Points").

Also, to encourage Labels to sign the Artists they think are the most talented (like real world Labels), rather than Artists that they think will get the most points, Labels get 200 points each time one of their "signed Artists" sells a track and 2,000 points each time one of their "signed Artists" sells an album. There is no maximum. For example, if you had "Temple Scene" signed as one of your Artists, and they sold 25 tracks today, you'd earn 5,000 points.

Labels that want to sign popular Artists who have already been signed to multiple Labels can now earn more points, even though they may be late in the "discovery" process for that Artist. The first Label to sign the Artist will receive 100% of the points earned by the Artist, and the last Label to sign the Artist will receive 50% of the points earned by the Artist. Everyone else is somewhere in between. So, even if there are 1,000 Labels who have signed an Artist in front of you, you'll still get at least 50% of the points that Artist provides the #1 Label.

And, as more people sign up the same Artist, your percentage of points earned increases. Of course, if you want 100% of the points an Artist provides, then you'll still need to be on the lookout for the next big hit on Stereofame!

As you sign artists, some percentage of the points they earn from community actions are also added to your label. The earlier you sign an artist (be first in line people), the larger the chunk of points.

No matter what your Label Rank may be, you will never receive less than 50% of the points earned by artists from community actions (not artist actions). Additionally, labels that are active earn up to 3,000 points a month more than Labels that are inactive by being awarded 100 points for the first vote cast each day.

Daily Bonus Points for Labels - 100 Bonus Point are awarded for the first vote cast each day, but you must log-in and vote at least once each day in order to receive.

Label Rank indicates the order or position in which you signed the Artist. Label Rank is indicated on the Label's profile page under each Artist you have signed.

If you are a Musician that has created original music, you can upload music and create a Stereofame Artist Profile Page. Stereofame is also collaborator friendly. With the legal rights to do so, a musician’s agent, producer or songwriter are welcome to create Artist Profile Pages. However, the same titled original track may NOT be uploaded to more than one Artist Profile Page at any time. When you upload tracks, you will have the option to make them available for sale, free download or stream-only.

All Artists are allowed to enter up to 5 songs to play the Game. All artists may also upload an additional 95 tracks, beyond the 5 songs used for playing the Game, to make available for download by purchase or free of charge.

Free & Purchased Downloads: All artists may upload up to 100 tracks. Note that all tracks uploaded after the first five tracks will be designated as Non-Game Music. Each Artist may designate whether its songs will be available for download either free of charge or for sale. Songs designated as available for free download will not have limits on the number of free downloads.

Artists interested in entering the Artist of the Month and Album of the Month contests must agree to the terms and conditions of the Digital Music Distribution Agreement before they can enter.

Every Artist on Stereofame is allowed to create one Label account as a means of promoting their Artist account. If the Artist is a band, each individual band member may have only one Label per person - no exceptions.

Note: In addition, we'll post which Label belongs to which Artist (coming soon).

For Artists: Stereofame uses SF Rank for Artists to indicate and organize high quality music on the site. By considering over 100 variables through a unique formula created by Stereofame, songs and artists receiving a high score through the formula will receive a better SF Rank and are more likely to appear at the top of the music charts. Some important factors considered are: music production quality, originality, musical arrangement, melody, musicianship, creativity and vocals.

Song votes, song comments and music reviews submitted by users are also considered in SF Rank. Through the formula, votes by some users may have greater influence on an Artist's SF Rank than others and thus, such users' votes may have more value at any given time.

The SF Rank scores are real-time and dynamic using website activity data to determine song quality. Stereofame takes a proactive approach to improve the ranking quality in an effort to create a useful resource for users searching for talented, independent and unsigned artists from around the world. Thus, Stereofame reserves the right to modify the SF Rank Formula at any time and without notice.

For Labels: SF Rank for Labels is based upon the success of the Artists that they have signed and that success is determined by a number of factors including, but not limited to, signed Artists' SF Rank, Music Store sales activity, contest participation results and user voting. This ensures that Labels who are really good at picking out great Artists rise to the top of the rankings. Stereofame takes a proactive approach to improving the ranking quality of Labels and thus reserves the right to modify the formula used in the SF Rank for Labels at any time and without notice.

Artists and Labels can use their points to bid for great prizes at the Auction House. The Auction House is divided into two areas: Artist Auction Items and Label Auction Items.

• Artists and Labels may bid on fabulous items at the Auction House with their points. There are a fixed number of items that are available to the highest bidder. Like eBay, the auction ends at the time designated for the item being bid upon. Some items may be bid upon for an hour or less, while other items may be bid upon for the entire Stereofame Season. Points bid on an item are removed from the bidder's total points available. If the bid is unsuccessful, the points are added back to the bidder's point total. If the bid is successful, the points bid on the item are permanently removed and the item is shipped to the winner. However, total points earned will remain displayed for others to view.

Stereofame reserves the right to substitute the U.S. cash equivalent for the approximate retail value of any item you have won in the Auction House. We may make this substitution by issuing our check to your order in the appropriate amount or crediting your PayPal account in such amount if you reside outside the United States in a country where PayPal operates.

If Stereofame offers a Stereofame gift card ("SF Gift Card") as an auction item, each SF Gift Card winner will be allowed to apply his or her SF Gift Card to digital track downloads only. The SF Gift Card may not be used as a credit for the purchase of any other items on Stereofame. Each such SF Gift Card winner will be provided with a credit on the Member's account to download ten (10) digital tracks. SF Gift Cards are non-transferable.

Artists and Labels earn points for actions completed. The more you participate in the game and complete actions (like listening to & voting on a great song, uploading cool photos and videos to your profile page, downloading music, or getting your friends to sign up), the more points you can earn. The scoring system varies and points are maximized according to the following categories. (See "Points" below for additional detail.)

The primary means for Artists to maximize their point value is by providing great music - as determined by the Stereofame community who sign you to their Label, download your music and/or provide "thumbs up" and "thumbs down" for songs. You can also score big points by inviting your friends and fans to Stereofame, and creating and updating great profile pages.

Please note that as an Artist, you won't receive points for uploading Non-Game Music nor will you receive any points due to anyone else listening to or voting on your Non-Game Music. However, you will receive stats for Non-Game Music that's been listened to or voted on. Also, as an Artist logged in and LISTENING to Non-Game Music, you are also eligible to earn points for listening to and voting on any Non-Game Music just as you would when listening to or voting on music entered in the game.

Artists can promote themselves on Stereofame via the Stereofame graph (the social network), as well as other graphs like Facebook, MySpace, and Bebo for example. Place a widget on those pages and get credit and points for everyone that signs up through your widget.

What's cool about Stereofame is that it's a "niche" site for music, and only music. The community is really about promoting you, the artist. You can contact Labels directly, encouraging them to perform actions which will increase your point total, as well as the point total of the Labels who have signed you. But, more importantly, they can also help spread the word about you so you can get recognized for your great music.

The primary means for Labels to maximize their point value is by discovering great music - as determined by the Stereofame community who provide "thumbs up" and "thumbs down" for songs and inviting friends to Stereofame. The better your signed artists do on Stereofame, the more points you get. But you can also score big points by downloading music, creating a great profile page, or just listening to the great artists we have here on Stereofame.

Please note that if a Label is logged in, the Label will also earn points for listening to and voting on Non-Game Music just as you would when listening to or voting on music entered in the game.

As a Label, you can promote your Label and the Artists on your label via the Stereofame graph (the social network), as well as other graphs like Facebook, MySpace, and Bebo. Place a widget on those pages and get credit and points for everyone that signs up through your widget.

What's cool about Stereofame is that it's all about great music. The community is really about promoting great artists. You can contact Artists directly, and let you know what you think of their music. Who knows? The next song they write might become a big hit because of your feedback!

You can view your total points earned, point balance, auction items redeemed, and how and when you obtained these points and auction items by going to the Points tab on your profile page.

Although anyone can enjoy Stereofame free of charge as a standard Member, becoming a VIP Member or a Backstage Pass Member (together, "Premium Members") provides significant benefits. Artists may become "VIP Members" and Labels may become "Backstage Pass Members". The cost to upgrade to this Premium Membership is just $4.95 per month.

This small fee helps Stereofame use paid Premium Memberships from the community to finance our operations, keeping our website free from intrusive commercial advertisements. We want to promote great artists, not great toothpaste. Except for the awesome items in our Auction House and sponsors of our contests, Stereofame is proud to be 100% ad free!

Please note that all Premium Members are subject to the Terms and Conditions for Stereofame VIP Members and Backstage Pass Members. Please also note that in the event Stereofame offers a discount or sale on any merchandise or music inventory to all Stereofame Members and Premium Members (a "Stereofame Sale"), a Premium Member will receive either the Stereofame Sale discount or the discount provided to that Premium Member according to the Premium Membership benefits, whichever is greater. In the event of a conflict between these Game Rules and the Terms and Conditions for Stereofame VIP Members and Backstage Pass Members, the Terms and Conditions for Stereofame VIP Members and Backstage Pass Members will govern. Here's a breakdown of the exciting benefits with these memberships:

• Sign More Artists - Get More Points: Only Backstage Pass Members can sign more Artists to their Label. Two additional Artists may be signed and one of these may be designated as a "Headliner", bringing the total number of "Headliners" from 3 to 4, and the total number of Artists signed from 10 to 12.
• Get the Stereofame Album of the Month - Every month - For FREE: Backstage Pass Members get the current SF Album of the Month for free! Members pay $11.88. Each month, after the Artist of the Month Contest Winner is chosen, the judges will choose 11 other Songs (including the Winning Artist's song) that were timely submitted by Artists to be included in the Album of the Month.
• Get 10% Bonus Points: Backstage Pass Members get 10% bonus points each month. On the last day of the month at midnight (NYC time/Eastern Time (ET)), Backstage Pass Members get 10% of all the points they've earned in the past month added to their total score. If the last day is in the same month as the new season (March, June, September, and December), the bonus will be for 10% of all points scored in the new season (the first day of Spring, Summer, Winter, and Fall until the last day of the month). Bonus points may be used for point store auctions.
• Get a 20% Discount on Music Albums and up to 20% Discount on all Single Tracks you purchase at the Music Store: Backstage Pass Members get 20% off on Artists' Albums (that's about $2 off each album). Plus, you'll get a 10% discount off all single tracks when you purchase at least 10 tracks in your subscription month or 20% discount off all single tracks when you purchase at least 20 tracks in your subscription month.
• Promote Your Label (or your Artists) with More Videos: More videos mean a profile page that is way cool. Backstage Pass Members can upload 25 videos while Members are limited to just one.
• Chat from your Personal Chat Room: Backstage Pass Members get their very own chat room on their profile page. Use it to let visitors know why you love the Artists you've signed or just chat about...whatever.
• Know Which Artists are getting you Points: only Backstage Pass Members are provided "Sneak Peek", a feature that enables you to see how many points are being provided by each Artist that you've signed. So, send them a thank you note if they're making you points and drop them if they're not!
• Get "You Just Got Out Bid" Auction House Alerts: Backstage Pass Members are automatically sent an alert when someone has entered a higher bid for that cool item you want at the Auction House.
• Get the Auction "Auto Bid" Feature: Backstage Pass Members can bid for auction items automatically. Simply enter the maximum amount of points that you're willing to spend and let the auto bid system bid for you. No more staying up in the middle of the night to bid.
• Get the Auction House Intel Report: Backstage Pass Members can see how many points other Labels have AVAILABLE to bid. So, stop overspending your points!
• Get noticed: only Backstage Pass Members are selected by Stereofame for the homepage Showcase Labels section.
• Get a 10% Discount on all Stereofame Logo Merchandise (coming soon): Backstage Pass Members get a 10% discount on cool Stereofame Merchandise like T-Shirts, Hats, Stickers, and more.
• Get Recognition for your Premium Membership (coming soon): only Backstage Pass Members can purchase SF Backstage Pass Member T-Shirts and Hats.
• Mass Message With One Single Click (coming soon): Only Backstage Pass Members can send a message to your top 100 friends or signed Artists. Create a message for your signed Artists or maybe a newsletter, or a "Signed Artist" update and "click it" to your top 100 friends so they can spread the word about that hot act you just found.

• Get noticed: VIP Members are given priority by Stereofame for the homepage Showcase Artists section and Stereofame Showcase events.
• Mass Message Your Labels & Fans With One Single Click: Only VIP Members can send a message to all of their Labels & fans at once. Create a message, a newsletter, or provide a tour update and send it to ALL your Labels & fans so they can spread the word about your music.
• Promote Yourself with More Videos: More videos mean more fans. VIP Members can upload 25 videos while Members are limited to just one.
• Chat from your Personal Chat Room: VIP Members get their very own chat room on their profile page. Use it to strengthen your relationship with your fans.
• Know Who Your Fans are: VIP Members are provided "Sneak Peek", a feature that enables Artists to see who is downloading their music. So, send your listeners a thank you note and encourage them to tell their friends or check out your latest tracks!
• Stream Your Music at a Better Quality: Only VIP Members music is downloaded and streamed at 256 kbps. Members music is downloaded at 256 kbps, but streamed at 128 kbps. Step up to more bandwidth so your fans can stream your music with a full, true and richer sound.
• Get 10% Bonus Points: VIP Members get 10% bonus points each month. On the last day of the month at midnight (NYC time), VIP Members get 10% of all the points they've earned in the past month added to their total score. If the last day is in the same month as the new season (March, June, September, and December), the bonus will be for 10% of all points scored in the new season (the first day of Spring, Summer, Winter, and Fall until the last day of the month). Bonus points may be used for point store auctions.
• Get "You Just Got Out Bid" Auction House Alerts: VIP Members are automatically sent an alert when someone has entered a higher bid for that cool item at the Auction House.
• Get the Auction "Auto Bid" Feature: VIP Members can bid for auction items automatically. Simply enter the maximum amount of points that you're willing to spend and let the auto bid system bid for you. No more staying up in the middle of the night to bid.
• Get the Auction House Intel Report: VIP Members can see how many points other Artists have AVAILABLE to bid. So, stop overspending your points!
• Get the Stereofame Album of the Month - Every month - For FREE: VIP Members get the current SF Album of the Month for free! Members pay $11.88. Each month, after the Artist of the Month Contest Winner is chosen, the judges will choose 11 other Songs (including the Winning Artist's song) that were timely submitted by Artists to be included in the Album of the Month.
• Get a 20% Discount on Music Albums and up to 20% Discount on all Single Tracks you purchase at the Music Store: VIP Members get 20% off on Artists' Albums (that's about $2 off each album). Plus, you'll get a 10% discount off all single tracks when you purchase at least 10 tracks in your subscription month or 20% discount off all single tracks when you purchase at least 20 tracks in your subscription month.
• Get a 10% Discount on all Stereofame Logo Merchandise (coming soon): VIP Members get a 10% discount on cool Stereofame Merch like T-Shirts, Hats, Stickers, and more.
• Get Recognition for your Premium Membership (coming soon): only VIP Members can purchase SF VIP Member T-Shirts and Hats.

In addition to the ongoing Stereofame game, Artists and Labels may participate in various promotions. While the game is continuous, a contest is typically, but not always, for a fixed period of time and usually 30 - 90 days in length. For example, the first promotion provided Artists the opportunity to perform at the After the Jump Fest in New York City on June 21st. The second promotion provided Artists the opportunity to have a song selected for inclusion in a Hollywood film featuring an Academy Award winning actress. The winners of our promotions are determined by specific rules (see "Promotions and Rules"). The contests' Leaderboard may be viewed on the "Current Contests" page.

Also, Stereofame regularly sponsors Live Showcases across the country where only standout Artists are selected to perform. Our Showcase events are yet another opportunity for the rapidly expanding Stereofame.com community to be heard, this time in person.

By using Stereofame, you are agreeing, without limitation or qualification, to be bound by, and to comply with, the Game Rules and Terms and Conditions of the website, which are incorporated by reference into these Game Rules. Stereofame reserves the right to amend these Game Rules at any time, and you are bound by the version posted when you visit Stereofame. Stereofame reserves the right to terminate the membership or participation of, and cancel any and all unused points for, Artist and Labels who have been caught cheating or violating the spirit of the Game, in Stereofame's sole discretion.